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Mage: the Awakening
“My father says that almost the whole world is asleep. Everybody you know, everybody you see, everybody you talk to. He says that only a few people are awake, and they live in a state of constant, total amazement” The Wake – Abney Park Overview In the City of Lost Haven and in the Birlingfax county as a whole the mages of the Pentacle Orders are slowly starting to recover from a long period of conflict that destroyed almost all of their hierarchy within the city leaving a void in leader ship and split in opinion about how the new leadership should be set up within the cities cabals. Despite the narrow defeat of the Seers of the Throne a fear the war isn't really over still lingers over the less political minded mages and cabals and the magical scars caused by the fighting have let god knows what into the world. M:tA in Lost Haven's theme are of politics and supernatural horror with an atmosphere of paranoia. A New Atlantis Some of the first of us who came to this place must have seen the 'New World' as the chance to possibly discover mysteries that had eluded people like you and me for centuries. Others may have seen it as a way to escape the power struggles of the Old World. Whilst others simply left in search of adventure and a chance to find the true them in these undiscovered wilds. They must have been surprised by the people they found already here. People with powers like themselves. It was possibly the reason the awakened at the time had an easier time of negotiating with the natives than the Sleepers. They shared a common ancestry that Sleepers, with their Imperialistic god fearing beliefs, probably refused to acknowledge. It would be a short lived peace. You ever heard the story of Birlingfax and how the people who settled their disappeared without a trace? After the initial warm welcome between those who walked our paths amongst the natives here we tried to enforce our way of seeing the world onto them. Our politics and our understanding of the supernal conflicted so harshly with how they saw themselves and their position in the world that a secret war was waged, similar to the one we fight against the Seers. Now the natives, they where a much more enlightened people than the Sleepers we brought with us. The native awakened here didn't fear the abyss or the potential for paradox as our ancestors in the Old World did. The conflict took a darker turn and with the war waging the world cracked. The town of Birlingfax vanished in a night as the abyss swallowed all within, whole. Now our Ancestors who survived the doom of the town established other settlements. Plague, mortal conflicts and the work of others who work in the shadows of the Fallen Realm reduced the native populace. The threats decreased and for a while the New World seemed like a new Atlantis, a place where the Orders could establish new rules and territory would be fresh to grab. For a while this was true, until the witch trials broke out. We were forced to be more careful than usual in our workings. Rumour has it the man who started the trials could work the craft like any of us. Conspiracy has it, he was either the first Banisher or first Seer in the New World. Others like him followed though. That wasn't the worst of it. Our new Haven in this world, the city that we now know as Lost Haven, was burned. None of the records we keep in the archives of the Mysterium explain what happened. Most now just chalk it up to mortal mistakes and nothing to do with us. The people rebuilt though, buildings of stone replaced those of wood. The cities central and western districts still show the marks. The mish-mash of architecture are the scars of the cities history; scars from the worst moment in the nations history. Now the area was strongly allied to the British during the Revolution and the American revolutionaries bombarded the city, once again destroying it. During the Civil war, the nearby Fortified Island served as a training ground for the Northern Marines and soldiers; many of them would never return from the bloody conflicts. The aftermath led to a lot of industrial revolution; a little later than many northern states, but it happened. Immigrants came from all over the world to this, now booming, little port city. The turn of the century and two wars saw drops in population. Both sleepers and the awakened took part; some with a sick curiosity about how they could abuse their powers of the fields of slaughter while others had their idealistic views on ending wars altogether. We all watched with a mixture of horror and curiosity though, when the most devastating power that man has ever wielded was unleashed. As you'd expect we all knew what such power in the hands of men could lead to. It was something no one wanted. Men weren't made to wield the power to destroy worlds. It sparked the paranoid period of the Cold War. The access to atom bombs and the extremities in the politics reflected deeply in our own society. The period also had its share of enlightenment. Awakenings seemed to occur often during the 60's and 70's; those who half awoke even more so. The effects of the hippy life possibly, or maybe something in the drugs that wasn't supposed to be there. With the growth in awakenings, accidents happened. The shadow war waged between those of the Pentacle Orders and those of the Seers of the Throne grew more violent as more bodies could be thrown into the war efforts of both sides. We had predicted the end of the Cold War of the Sleepers and the war between us and the Seers ended around the same time. It left its wounds though, as you'll quickly become aware of. The cities ancient Concilium was torn apart in order to push out the Seers. Conflicts between the Orders occurred, weakening an already battered society. The oldest of the Cabals in the City, the Lamont Historical Society, which is composed of members from almost all of the 5 orders, used its influence to put a shaky truce into place so the cities awakened could rebuild and bring in new blood. They where very quickly backed by the cabals of the Atlantean Sea Guard and the Guardians of Avalon, both entirely composed of the Adamantine Arrow. This gave them the leverage to maintain the truce. The Societies connections to both the Mysterium and the Guardians of the Veil gave it the knowledge to be the most influential cabal in this new era of this supposed New Atlantis. Now, if you're new to politics of this city, watch your ass. The lingering effects of paranoia from the conflicts with the Seers has left a lot of the established Awakened in the city sore when meeting new faces. So don't expect hugs and welcomes from those you meet even if they share and Order with you. I'm sure you'll show your worth soon enough and put them at ease. Leopold – Warlock Savant of the Mysterium Consilium The Consilium is the Hierarchy of Mage society in the city a poor reflection of it's former glory since the war with the Seers of the Throne ended the Consilium has had to be rebuilt and restructured, and a few of it's positions are considered little more than place holders by some cabals leading to little in the way of respect from some cabals in the city. Orders While Mage Orders are important it's Cabals who control the real power within a city. Some cabals however are predominantly made of single orders and the line is sometimes blurred. While there is no hierarchy of Orders in the same way the Vampiric Covenants have, the Silver Ladder is generally considered to the most political minded of the 5 orders. As standard the orders do not have single bases of operation with the exceptions of the Mysterium and the Guardians of the Veil. The former being public knowledge and the latter only subject to rumour from mages not of that particular order. If something immediately important for the other 3 orders pops up they are able to call gatherings but usually never in the same place. Paths In a similar manner to werewolf auspices a mages path is generally only a reflection of their capabilities as a mage, partially of their demeanor and as a representation of the supernal realm in which their abilities are tied. Their Path also form a role in the formal greetings that mages will use in matters of court or in dealings with other cabals. It is also common for a mage to find an apprentice of the same path to pass to knowledge and skill. Cabals Cabals hold true power within Lost Haven and there are a few of them spread throughout the city and the surrounding area. All of them have their own territories, sanctums and various degrees of influence and ability. Some share old rivalries some are allies, some keep to themselves while others are proactive mage cabals vary greatly on their goals and motivations. NPC Cabals Lamont Historical Society Guardians of Avalon Atlantean Seaguard Voices of Freedom The Orphanage The Scholars of Petra PC Cabals ???? Faces of Note The following are links to pages that reveal Player Characters and Non Player Characters within the City of Lost Haven. Quick Nav Home Mortal Mage Vampire Werewolf Hunter Changling Category:Home Category:MtA